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To add a YouTube stream key to FFmpeg on Ubuntu, copy both the server URL and stream key from YouTube Studio’s Live Control Room, then pass them together as FFmpeg’s output destination. The key alone is not enough: YouTube needs the destination URL as well. The command below is a template; replace its placeholders with the values shown for your stream.
Before you start: check YouTube live-stream access
YouTube says first-time live streaming can take up to 24 hours to become available. Its stated requirements include a verified channel and no live-stream restrictions during the previous 90 days. YouTube also lists limits of 10 active streams per channel and three active streams per stream key. These platform rules can change; check YouTube’s live-streaming requirements if you cannot start a stream.
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Copy the server URL and stream key
- Open YouTube Studio and go to Live Control Room.
- Create a stream or select the scheduled stream you want to broadcast.
- Open its Stream settings and copy the server URL and stream key shown there. Use the values for this specific stream; do not guess the endpoint or reuse a key from an unrelated stream.
YouTube describes stream keys as “like your YouTube stream’s password and address.” Treat the key as a credential: do not share it, publish it in screenshots or logs, or commit it to source control. If it may have been exposed, reset it in Live Control Room and update FFmpeg with the replacement. See YouTube’s stream-key guidance.
Build and run the FFmpeg command
FFmpeg’s documented pattern for sending a file in real time to an RTMP destination uses -re for real-time input and -f flv for the output. A practical template, including common H.264 video and AAC audio options, is:
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ffmpeg -re -i INPUT -c:v libx264 -preset veryfast -c:a aac -b:a 128k -f flv 'SERVER_URL/STREAM_KEY'
INPUTis the local file path, such asvideo.mp4.SERVER_URLandSTREAM_KEYare placeholders. Replace them with the server URL and key YouTube displays. Follow the path and key convention in the supplied endpoint; do not append the key a second time if YouTube’s displayed URL already includes it.- The codec options are illustrative, not universal requirements or a tested configuration. Match the encoding settings to your source and YouTube’s current encoder guidance.
FFmpeg’s protocol documentation shows the RTMP/FLV destination pattern, for example ffmpeg -re -i myfile -f flv rtmp://myserver/live/mystream. The command above adapts that pattern; it has not been tested against your Ubuntu installation or stream. See FFmpeg’s protocol documentation.
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Choose RTMP or RTMPS to match YouTube’s URL
Use the protocol YouTube provides in Live Control Room. RTMPS is RTMP over TLS/SSL; YouTube displays the regular RTMP URL by default and provides a secure RTMPS URL when you select that option. Do not combine an RTMP scheme with an RTMPS host or vice versa. The FFmpeg binary installed on Ubuntu must also support the protocol you choose; support can vary by build. Check available protocols with ffmpeg -protocols and consult the documentation for your local package.
| Choice | What to use | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| RTMP | The RTMP server URL shown for your stream | That the destination matches the URL and key format shown in Live Control Room. |
| RTMPS | The secure RTMPS URL copied from Live Control Room | That both scheme and host use rtmps and the installed FFmpeg build supports RTMPS. YouTube’s troubleshooting guidance notes that port 443 may help with certain SSL errors. |
For setup details, see YouTube’s RTMPS guidance and FFmpeg’s protocol documentation.
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Confirm the stream in Live Control Room
For a scheduled broadcast, start FFmpeg and wait for the incoming preview to appear in Live Control Room. Then click Go live. Starting the encoder does not necessarily make a scheduled stream public immediately. YouTube’s immediate-start flow can instead create the watch page and begin the live broadcast when the encoder starts. Follow the flow attached to the stream you created.
Troubleshoot common connection problems
No incoming preview
- Confirm that the correct stream is selected and that you copied its exact server URL and key.
- Check that live streaming is enabled for the channel and that it meets YouTube’s eligibility requirements.
- If a third-party encoder will not start, YouTube recommends getting a new key from Live Control Room and updating the encoder.
RTMPS SSL error or timeout
- Copy the RTMPS URL from Live Control Room rather than changing an RTMP URL by hand.
- Check that both the URL scheme and host use
rtmps; try port 443 where appropriate for the SSL error. - Run
ffmpeg -protocolsand check whether the local build lists RTMPS. If it does not, use a build with the needed protocol support.
Scheduled stream is waiting, even though FFmpeg is sending
Wait for the preview to appear, then select Go live in Live Control Room.
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The key was exposed or is rejected
Reset the key in Live Control Room and replace it in the FFmpeg destination wherever the old value is stored. Avoid putting the replacement in a public command example, shared log, or repository.
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